In a continuation of public corporal punishment, the Taliban on Thursday flogged 10 men and one woman in the eastern province of Nangarhar, the Taliban-run Supreme Court said.
According to a statement from the court, the men received between 30 and 39 lashes each, while the woman was lashed 39 times.
The individuals had been convicted of offenses including “sodomy, adultery, and illicit relationships,” the statement said.
The punishments were carried out in the presence of Taliban officials, court authorities, and members of the public.
Since October 22, the Taliban have publicly lashed at least 85 people across various provinces, according to local reports.
The recent cases include:
In Bamiyan, two individuals were flogged.
In Khost, seven individuals were flogged for “illicit relationships,” while 10 others were punished for theft.
In Kabul and Faryab, individuals convicted of adultery were sentenced to both lashes and prison time.
In Parwan, four people, including a woman, were flogged for “eloping and illicit relations.”
Other incidents were reported in Paktika, Ghazni, Takhar, Wardak, and Jawzjan, with crimes ranging from theft and “moral corruption” to alcohol sales.
The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a decree in November 2022 authorizing the enforcement of certain Sharia punishments, including public lashings. Since then, hundreds have reportedly been flogged in Taliban-controlled areas.
The United Nations and numerous human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned these practices, urging the Taliban to halt corporal punishments, which they consider violations of international human rights standards.
